Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Sony has taken the wraps of off its Xperia Z & Xperia ZL, new flagship devices from Sony which are meant to compete with the highly awaited HTC One and much hyped Samsung Galaxy S4. The two Smartphones are packed with great features such as 5 inch 1080p Reality display and the Mobile Bravia Engine 2. Sony's phones have never had any problems in terms of designing and looks. And as with these two, the phones have minimalist designs and look simple yet elegant. The devices run on the JellyBean 4.1 and are backed by the 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro Processor and 2 GB of RAM.

As both the phones belong to relatively the same Z series, the devices contain similar features and it's kind of confusing for users to understand and distinguish between the two. Let's see some of the basic differences between the Xperia Z and ZL smartphones.

IP57 certification - Waterproof and dust proof

The Z is an certified IP57 device which means it's a completely waterproof and dust proof device. This smartphone can stay under water for 30 minutes as deep as upto 1 meter. Sony has been touting this feature enthusiastically via all its sources especially social media. On the other hand, Xperia ZL lacks the certification and as such the protection too so it's vulnerable to water as well as dust, as much as any other phone.

Dimensions - ZL is shorter

Though it's not a deal-breaker, the ZL is slightly shorter than the Z. Though both the devices have identical displays of 5 inch, the basic design of the phones are different to each other leaving the ZL shorter by about 5-6mm.

Design - Z is thinner

Z is slicker and thinner than the ZL as expected because it is more costly too. The back of the Xperia ZL is made up of the hard plastic which is one of the major differences between these two devices. The Xperia Z has nice and glossy glass back which gives the premium feel to the phone where as having plastic parts will help in reducing weight making it more lighter but comes at the cost of a lesser premium device.

ZL has an infrared port and Camera button

ZL includes the Infrared port which has been extinct from all the new age smartphones. The infrared feature actually allows the Xperia ZL to use it as a Bravia remote. The Xperia Z lacks this feature but we don't think this will likely to be a decision changer for many. Most people will be willing to live with a smartphone which doesn't have a infrared.

Another minor change is that the Camera button is missing in Xperia Z while it is present in the ZL. It is confusing why Sony chose to go with this route but we think it is mainly to save a couple of mm space inside to phone allowing better space efficiency.

Price

There is no doubt that The Z is costlier but the price differences between the two devices is minor enough that can be ignored. One should not mind spending 50 more bucks for the device which is waterproof dust proof and has gorgeous glass on it's back. Go ahead and buy the Xperia Z if details matter to you but if all you want is a phone with a good featureset but dont mind compromising on the design the Xperia ZL is the one for you.

Summary of differences between Xperia Z and Xperia ZL

Xperia Z

Pros:-

Glass backing allowing the phone to be more premium in feel though a bit costly.

A well protected waterproof and dust proof Android phone.

Cons:-

Lacks infrared support.

Xperia ZL

Pros:-

Slightly cheaper and has the infrared which is missing in other phone.

Phone is lighter & cheaper than Z.

Cons:-

It's not a water proof or a dust proof phone.

Sony Xperia Z Reviewed by Sangram Nandkhileon Mar 25 2013 Rating: 4

Sony has taken the wraps of off its Xperia Z & Xperia ZL, new flagship devices from Sony which are meant to compete with the highly awaited HTC One and much hyped Samsung Galaxy S4. The two Smartphones are packed with great features such as 5 inch 1080p Reality display and the Mobile Bravia Engine 2. Sony's phones have never had any problems in terms of designing and looks. And as with these two, the phones have minimalist designs and look simple yet elegant. The devices run on the JellyBean 4.1 and are backed by the 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro Processor and 2 GB of RAM.

As both the phones belong to relatively the same Z series, the devices contain similar features and it's kind of confusing for users to understand and distinguish between the two. Let's see some of the basic differences between the Xperia Z and ZL smartphones.

IP57 certification - Waterproof and dust proof

The Z is an certified IP57 device which means it's a completely waterproof and dust proof device. This smartphone can stay under water for 30 minutes as deep as upto 1 meter. Sony has been touting this feature enthusiastically via all its sources especially social media. On the other hand, Xperia ZL lacks the certification and as such the protection too so it's vulnerable to water as well as dust, as much as any other phone.

Dimensions - ZL is shorter

Though it's not a deal-breaker, the ZL is slightly shorter than the Z. Though both the devices have identical displays of 5 inch, the basic design of the phones are different to each other leaving the ZL shorter by about 5-6mm.

Design - Z is thinner

Z is slicker and thinner than the ZL as expected because it is more costly too. The back of the Xperia ZL is made up of the hard plastic which is one of the major differences between these two devices. The Xperia Z has nice and glossy glass back which gives the premium feel to the phone where as having plastic parts will help in reducing weight making it more lighter but comes at the cost of a lesser premium device.

ZL has an infrared port and Camera button

ZL includes the Infrared port which has been extinct from all the new age smartphones. The infrared feature actually allows the Xperia ZL to use it as a Bravia remote. The Xperia Z lacks this feature but we don't think this will likely to be a decision changer for many. Most people will be willing to live with a smartphone which doesn't have a infrared.

Another minor change is that the Camera button is missing in Xperia Z while it is present in the ZL. It is confusing why Sony chose to go with this route but we think it is mainly to save a couple of mm space inside to phone allowing better space efficiency.

Price

There is no doubt that The Z is costlier but the price differences between the two devices is minor enough that can be ignored. One should not mind spending 50 more bucks for the device which is waterproof dust proof and has gorgeous glass on it's back. Go ahead and buy the Xperia Z if details matter to you but if all you want is a phone with a good featureset but dont mind compromising on the design the Xperia ZL is the one for you.

Summary of differences between Xperia Z and Xperia ZL

Xperia Z

Pros:-

Glass backing allowing the phone to be more premium in feel though a bit costly.

A well protected waterproof and dust proof Android phone.

Cons:-

Lacks infrared support.

Xperia ZL

Pros:-

Slightly cheaper and has the infrared which is missing in other phone.